*Disclaimer: Kenny and Denise belong to Harry Elfont and Deb Kaplan. Nessa, Josh, Keith, and Eric belong to me.
*A/N: This is the follow up to "One Last Time", and the second in my CHW quartet. I used artistic liscense on the Darvocet part... taking 3 when you're drunk could kill you. But not in *my* world! LOL. R & R. Thx.
Four weeks and five days.
That's how long it had been since Denise and Kenny saw each other last. Four weeks and five days without being held, without being kissed, without being cuddled, without anything.
That's what Denise was thinking as she sat down at the laptop in her small dorm room to check and see if Kenny was online. She gritted her teeth in annoyance as the computer went through its routine of screeches and beeps before granting her access to her e-mail. She waited impatiently through the electronic "Welcome!" for the always exciting "You've got mail!" but it didn't come.
"Damn," she muttered, disappointed at the sight of her empty in-box. "Guess he's not home yet."
"Who's not home yet?"
Denise started at the sound of a voice behind her and turned around. Her roommate, Nessa, was standing in the doorway, peering curiously over her shoulder at the computer screen.
"Nessa, you scared the crap outta me," Denise said, giving her a dirty look. Nessa shrugged as she walked over to her.
"Sorry," she replied. "I figured you heard me come in."
"No, I didn't," Denise told her. "You know, just in case you couldn't tell by my almost having a heart attack there."
Nessa giggled.
"God, you're wound," she said. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," Denise answered. Nessa looked at her skeptically.
"You mean nothing as in 'nothing's wrong', or nothing as in 'nothing from my boyfriend'?"
"I mean it's nothing," Denise repeated, annoyed at the accuracy of Nessa's divination. She closed the laptop with an agitated click and stood up to face her.
Nessa stared at her a moment, then shook her head.
"Honestly, Denise, you gotta relax."
Denise tossed her a quizzical look.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Nessa threw her hands up dramatically.
"Well, look at you! You're a head case. All stressed out and we're only a month into school."
"I'm not stressed," Denise said.
"Yes, you are. I am too. College isn't easy."
"Yeah. And?
"And you're missing your boyfriend."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
Nessa smiled slyly.
"You need some play, girl. You're starved for affection. You're gonna waste away if you don't get some action soon."
Denise rolled her eyes.
"Do you always let your hormones do the talking?"
"Pretty much," Nessa replied. "But seriously, you gotta unwind. You should come with me to this party tonight--"
"Party?" Denise retorted. "Oh no. Parties are so not my thing."
"Why?" Nessa asked. Denise raised an eyebrow.
"All it is is a bunch of people getting stoned, getting drunk, and getting laid."
"Exactly," Nessa replied.
"Not my idea of a good time."
"And that's why you need to go. You gotta refine your partying skills."
Denise shook her head amusedly.
"You're a psycho."
Nessa grinned.
"Maybe so. But this psycho needs her roommate to come to the party tonight." She gave Denise a pleading look.
"I don't think so."
"Come on. What else are you gonna do?"
"I'll find stuff to keep me busy. Unlike you, I can stand being alone for more than fifteen minutes."
Nessa's expression turned from pleading to slightly irked.
"What's with the social phobia?"
"I don't want to go to one party and that makes me a social phobic?"
"It's not one party, Denise. You haven't gone to any parties so far. Or any other type of social gathering for that matter."
"So?"
"So?" Nessa repeated. "Don't you want to make friends here? Have people to hang out with?"
"I have friends here," Denise told her. She felt a sudden pang of sadness. Just not the ones I care about.
Denise was surprised at herself for getting so homesick so often. Her whole life, she'd been planning on leaving Huntington Hills as soon as she graduated. But now that she was actually gone, she found that she was missing everything. She missed waking up every morning to the sound of her mom's soap operas blaring from the TV in the living room. She missed being able to spend forty-five minutes in the shower without getting yelled at. She missed having a room of her own. And more than anything, she missed Kenny. She missed his laugh, his quirky grin, even the silly "I'm-thinking-dirty-things" look he gave her when he wanted to piss her off. Denise felt like her heart was half empty without him. Could she really survive another eight weeks alone?
"Denise. He-llo? Anyone in there?"
Denise was snapped back to reality by Nessa's hands waving in front of her face. She flinched and took a step backwards as one of them narrowly missed her eye. Nessa stopped waving and gave her a funny look. "Are you on crack?" she asked.
"On crack?" Denise let out a bemused laugh. "Yeah, okay."
"I'm serious. You were all hot and bothered one second and then, like, in a total daze the next."
She shrugged.
"I was just thinking."
"Thinking about what?" Nessa pried.
"Stuff," Denise answered shortly.
"Were you thinking about how much fun we're gonna have at the party tonight?"
Denise groaned.
"Will you shut up about it?"
"Nope. Not unless you come."
"You are so irritating!"
"You think this is irritating?" Nessa asked. "You haven't seen the half of it."
"Spare me the other half, please."
Nessa stomped a foot impatiently.
"Denise! Enough!" she exclaimed dramatically. "You're being ridiculous!"
"I'm being-"
"Shhh!" Nessa interrupted sternly. "Now you are coming to this party tonight if I have to drag you there by your hair. It's for your own good!"
Denise recognized the crazed determination in her eyes and sighed.
"Fine," she snapped. "You win. I'll go to the fricken party."
Nessa's expression quickly switched from angry to ecstatic.
"Yes!" she squealed. "Now go get ready, it starts in an hour."
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*A/N: This is the follow up to "One Last Time", and the second in my CHW quartet. I used artistic liscense on the Darvocet part... taking 3 when you're drunk could kill you. But not in *my* world! LOL. R & R. Thx.
Four weeks and five days.
That's how long it had been since Denise and Kenny saw each other last. Four weeks and five days without being held, without being kissed, without being cuddled, without anything.
That's what Denise was thinking as she sat down at the laptop in her small dorm room to check and see if Kenny was online. She gritted her teeth in annoyance as the computer went through its routine of screeches and beeps before granting her access to her e-mail. She waited impatiently through the electronic "Welcome!" for the always exciting "You've got mail!" but it didn't come.
"Damn," she muttered, disappointed at the sight of her empty in-box. "Guess he's not home yet."
"Who's not home yet?"
Denise started at the sound of a voice behind her and turned around. Her roommate, Nessa, was standing in the doorway, peering curiously over her shoulder at the computer screen.
"Nessa, you scared the crap outta me," Denise said, giving her a dirty look. Nessa shrugged as she walked over to her.
"Sorry," she replied. "I figured you heard me come in."
"No, I didn't," Denise told her. "You know, just in case you couldn't tell by my almost having a heart attack there."
Nessa giggled.
"God, you're wound," she said. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," Denise answered. Nessa looked at her skeptically.
"You mean nothing as in 'nothing's wrong', or nothing as in 'nothing from my boyfriend'?"
"I mean it's nothing," Denise repeated, annoyed at the accuracy of Nessa's divination. She closed the laptop with an agitated click and stood up to face her.
Nessa stared at her a moment, then shook her head.
"Honestly, Denise, you gotta relax."
Denise tossed her a quizzical look.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Nessa threw her hands up dramatically.
"Well, look at you! You're a head case. All stressed out and we're only a month into school."
"I'm not stressed," Denise said.
"Yes, you are. I am too. College isn't easy."
"Yeah. And?
"And you're missing your boyfriend."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
Nessa smiled slyly.
"You need some play, girl. You're starved for affection. You're gonna waste away if you don't get some action soon."
Denise rolled her eyes.
"Do you always let your hormones do the talking?"
"Pretty much," Nessa replied. "But seriously, you gotta unwind. You should come with me to this party tonight--"
"Party?" Denise retorted. "Oh no. Parties are so not my thing."
"Why?" Nessa asked. Denise raised an eyebrow.
"All it is is a bunch of people getting stoned, getting drunk, and getting laid."
"Exactly," Nessa replied.
"Not my idea of a good time."
"And that's why you need to go. You gotta refine your partying skills."
Denise shook her head amusedly.
"You're a psycho."
Nessa grinned.
"Maybe so. But this psycho needs her roommate to come to the party tonight." She gave Denise a pleading look.
"I don't think so."
"Come on. What else are you gonna do?"
"I'll find stuff to keep me busy. Unlike you, I can stand being alone for more than fifteen minutes."
Nessa's expression turned from pleading to slightly irked.
"What's with the social phobia?"
"I don't want to go to one party and that makes me a social phobic?"
"It's not one party, Denise. You haven't gone to any parties so far. Or any other type of social gathering for that matter."
"So?"
"So?" Nessa repeated. "Don't you want to make friends here? Have people to hang out with?"
"I have friends here," Denise told her. She felt a sudden pang of sadness. Just not the ones I care about.
Denise was surprised at herself for getting so homesick so often. Her whole life, she'd been planning on leaving Huntington Hills as soon as she graduated. But now that she was actually gone, she found that she was missing everything. She missed waking up every morning to the sound of her mom's soap operas blaring from the TV in the living room. She missed being able to spend forty-five minutes in the shower without getting yelled at. She missed having a room of her own. And more than anything, she missed Kenny. She missed his laugh, his quirky grin, even the silly "I'm-thinking-dirty-things" look he gave her when he wanted to piss her off. Denise felt like her heart was half empty without him. Could she really survive another eight weeks alone?
"Denise. He-llo? Anyone in there?"
Denise was snapped back to reality by Nessa's hands waving in front of her face. She flinched and took a step backwards as one of them narrowly missed her eye. Nessa stopped waving and gave her a funny look. "Are you on crack?" she asked.
"On crack?" Denise let out a bemused laugh. "Yeah, okay."
"I'm serious. You were all hot and bothered one second and then, like, in a total daze the next."
She shrugged.
"I was just thinking."
"Thinking about what?" Nessa pried.
"Stuff," Denise answered shortly.
"Were you thinking about how much fun we're gonna have at the party tonight?"
Denise groaned.
"Will you shut up about it?"
"Nope. Not unless you come."
"You are so irritating!"
"You think this is irritating?" Nessa asked. "You haven't seen the half of it."
"Spare me the other half, please."
Nessa stomped a foot impatiently.
"Denise! Enough!" she exclaimed dramatically. "You're being ridiculous!"
"I'm being-"
"Shhh!" Nessa interrupted sternly. "Now you are coming to this party tonight if I have to drag you there by your hair. It's for your own good!"
Denise recognized the crazed determination in her eyes and sighed.
"Fine," she snapped. "You win. I'll go to the fricken party."
Nessa's expression quickly switched from angry to ecstatic.
"Yes!" she squealed. "Now go get ready, it starts in an hour."
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